


Star Wars: The Commander's Slave

by Captain_Kiri_Storm



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Badass Rey, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kylo Ren Redemption, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Rescue Missions, Slavery, slave Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-13 19:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7982866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Kiri_Storm/pseuds/Captain_Kiri_Storm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is over. </p><p>Snoke is dead, Kylo Ren returned to the Light, and the galaxy is at peace. Luke Skywalker and Rey are trying to rebuild the ruins of the Jedi Order. A scarred slave, the brother of General Hux, is starting to make his recovery beside the two people who saved him. The galaxy is healing.</p><p>Poe Dameron, the galaxy's great hero, is sent on a seemingly innocuous mission: patrol a certain sector of space an keep the Zyggerians under control. He doesn't expect to find the damaged form of the former General Starkiller in a cage en route to Nar Shadda. He can't justify leaving the man, not when he has a device in his mind that leaves him a perfectly obedient slave and a shock collar around his neck.</p><p>Poe can't, not even when his new slave turns his life upside down</p><p>UPDATES AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Caged Bird

Master had used him before he locked Tage in a crate. Tage was bad, Master said. He was bad and the collar wasn't keeping him in line with what he needed to do. He was to give Master pleasure, not shake his head and say "no". His body bore the scars from Master's crop, but Tage was still being sold. They didn't trust him in the main body of the ship with the others, so Tage was crated in one of the sneak holds. They left him a mask for his oxygen and a covered bucket to use if he needed to go. Tage hung his head in shame. His bare body was covered in welts and everything hurt.

Filth covered his body. Master usually let him clean himself after he was done, but Master said that, since Tage was bad and Tage wouldn't obey, he must be punished the only way he would understand. He must let Master's fluids drip down his body and dry on his bare skin. Tage hung his head in shame as he looked down. What good was he, a pleasure slave who failed at giving pleasure? Master said he was worthless and left it at that. Tage believed his Master. After all, why would Master lie to him? Master was good to Tage. It was only his foul misbehavior that caused him to be locked away like this.

The rumble of the cargo ship's engines comforted him. Tage could pretend that he was with the other slaves, not collared and locked here alone. The men Master had given him too hadn't looked very pleased to be dealung with him, but Tage wouldn't blame them. He was a bad boy and bad boys had to be punished. Master was sending him to Nar Shadda because that was where bad slaves went. If Tage had had enough fluids left to cry, he would have wept about his fate. Instead of someone's favored pet, he would just be another common whore. He would die within the month because he was such a delicate thing. Master often despaired over breaking his body. Tage never let Master see him in pain. It distressed Master and Tage tried so hard to be good.

He curled into as much of a ball as his chains would allow. Tage didn't dare try to get up. Master had hissed at Tage to be good once the men had him in hyperspace. Tage had always liked being on ships, though he couldn't remember why. He had always been good with his hands. Master had allowed him to play with things if he had been good. But Tage was so rarely good that Master said he couldn't understand why he even kept Tage around. If Tage was going to be a disobedient whore, he could go be one on Nar Shadda. Tage was a bad boy. He deserved it.

Someone was walking over the sneak hold and arguing with the Masters. Tage twisted his neck, worrying at the gag. He was gagged because he screamed when Master took him. He protested. He said no. He was a bad boy, because slaves weren't allowed to say no. He was supposed to be a good boy and let his Master do what Master wanted. Tage moved his hand to touch the filthy thing on his member. He was fairly sure he had an infection, as the cage wasn't ever removed. It burned whenever he urinated. But bad boys weren't allowed to take their cages off and Tage was a bad boy.

"No, my scanners say you have a hold!"

Tage bowed his head. He didn't look up as the men argued. Why couldn't the inspector just go away? They were following Master's orders and Tage didn't want to be punished.

"Either you get out of the way and let me check, or I'll blast you."

"Listen, fly boy, you might have been a big shot during the war, but you're nothing but a pilot now!"

Fly Boy growled something. "Chewie, I want you to rip up that section of decking. You and you! Hands where I can see them!"

Tage burrowed into his arms. Why was the inspector doing this? Had Tage been **that** bad? A big hairy thing suddenly ripped the top of the hold off and Tage bit the gag to keep himself from whimpering. The hairy creature, Chewie maybe, growled something. The next thing Tage knew, a blaster went off and a dark skinned man dropped into the pit. Tage looked away, his cheeks burning.

"Force," the man muttered. He had dark hair and tanned golden skin. Tage felt himself looking at the man and wondering why he was here. "There's a person down here!"

The beast, Chewie, growled something.

"The blaster was set to stun, buddy," Fly Boy said. He looked over at the lock. Tage scooted away as much as his bound limbs would allow. "Okay. Okay. Dameron, _think_!" He rattled the door of the cage. Tage flinched, afraid of the man who was looking at him. "Buddy, I'm going to get you out of here. I'm not sure how... Chewie! I need you to go get me the bolt cutters!"

"Buddy, it's going to be okay." Dameron reached through the bars and touched Tage's hands. Tage looked at him with confusion in his green eyes. "It's gonna be okay. I'm gonna get you out of here. I'm not sure how, but I'll get you free." He removed the gag, trying to brush back a little of Tage's hair. "Okay. Okay. I need to keep calm and not scare you, right?"

"Master," Tage croaked. He looked over at Dameron, trying to get his bearings. This was better than Nar Shadda. The collar forced him to obey. Here, he would have a chance.

"Shit," Dameron muttered. He touched Tage's face. "I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? Not sure what I'm going to do with you--and _what the **hell** is on you_?!"

"I'm a bad boy," Tage managed. "Bad boys are caged."

"Like hell they are," Dameron growled. "You're not bad. I think you're hurt, okay?"

Tage looked away. He was a bad boy. Dameron just didn't know it yet.


	2. You're a Person

Poe really didn't want to scare the poor guy. Force only knew that this human being had been through hell and there was no telling what was wrong with his head. The first thing you had to do in an abuse case like this was get pictures. As much as it pained Poe to do it, he had to start taking pictures of the pitiful human being locked in the cage before him. Poe took his comm and wrote up a separate file. Then he started collecting the evidence. Slavery might have been illegal in most of the galaxy, but this far in the Outer Rim, no one really cared about the laws. This poor man might have been born a slave or he might have been captured.

"Do you have a name?" Poe put down the comm, trying not to look disgusted. He was probably looking at an ill treated sex slave. The man was clearly malnourished, his ribs had hollowed out and stuck out of his too-pale sides. Poe wanted to wrap the man in a hug, but that wasn't a good plan. He needed to get the man out of the cage and then start to get him clean. Chewie came back and handed him the bolt cutters.

Chewie asked if the man was okay.

"No, buddy, he's not." Poe got to work on the locks. How the hell was the man supposed to get food or water if he was bound hand and foot? Or even use the bucket they had left him? From the smell of it, he'd used the bathroom on himself. Not that Poe blamed him. This man was a human being and he deserved to be treated as such. Okay. Poe needed to breathe and get him out of the cage. That would also mean cutting the bonds off of his arms and legs. Poe tried to control his irritation as Chewie helped him move the cage. The man watched him with cloudy green eyes. Poe shivered. Something was wrong with his head.

"Buddy?" Poe asked. He knelt by the man's side and started on the shockles. "Do you need me to give you a name? I've done it before."

"You're Master," the man whispered. Hopeful green eyes locked into dark ones. Poe cursed under his breath. The next thing to be coming off was the cage. He didn't care if you were into that on your own, but to leave a slave in one was wrong. Especially so that it looked like he had a UTI. "I will take whatever name you give me, Master. I am yours to command."

"All right." Poe decided to roll with it. "Can you tell me who your old Master was?"

_So I can murder him in his sleep?_

The man scrunched up his nose as he thought. Poe helped him up. Taking the cage off would take a lot of skill. The man stumbled against Poe as they started walking out. At least you could walk in the middle of the cage. Poe frowned as he caught a good look at the slave's middle. There were several subspecies of human that could have male pregnancies. Yavinese men were one of them. There were also various human-alien hybrids that could do the same and several alien species with the same trait. As far as he knew, this slave wasn't one of them. But there was a slight bulge around his belly. The rest of him was hollowed.

"I don't think I know, Master," the slave finally said. He sighed and looked down. Poe started to help him. This man was helpless. If he _was_ pregnant, and stranger things had happened, then Poe had a problem on his hands. He technically owned this battered, damaged human being.

The Wookiee moaned, asking if he needed to get the slave a chair.

"I think if you carried him, it would help," Poe said. "If that's okay with you, that is." Poe sighed as he wracked his brains for a name. How long had it taken Doph and Phasma to get a name out of Techie? The fact that he was Caeson Brendol Hux had taken a lot of time.

Chewie scooped the slave up. He whimpered, probably from the fur catching on that cursed cage and pulling on his infected member. Poe sighed and rubbed the man's bony back. He needed to get fed. If he was carrying a baby, he really needed food. Poe gritted his teeth and went on ahead. His little gunboat wasn't cut out to carry two humans and a Wookiee, plus towing back a smuggler's ship. Human trafficking was a capitol offense under the Third Republic. Far too many slaves had been traded for anything else.

"Can I call you Ashkii?" Poe asked. It was Yavinese for "Lost Boy" and Poe thought it fit.

The man nodded. "Ashkii. I like it. Thank you, Master."

Poe swallowed and touched Ashkii's shoulder. The man whined and flinched back. Poe drew his hands and backed off. Ashkii was scared. He didn't need to scare the man even more. What he needed to go was get Ashkii out of that nasty, tainted cage. Otherwise... a UTI would not only cause him a lot of pain, it could kill him. Toxins in your blood from a refusal to urinate. If Ashkii was carrying, they really needed to get that infection cleared up.

"I'm not your Master, Ashkii," Poe softly said. He watched as Chewie settled the slave on the medical bed. He wasn't trained in taking infected pieces of metal from a slave's body. However, they could try it. And Poe could get him some basic antibiotics from the ship's medical bay. He held the man's hand as he reached for the snips. Ashkii whined as Poe started working on the cage. It had corroded in several places. Poe tried to keep his cool as he started messing with the cage. Ashkii whined and jerked. 

"Easy, buddy." Poe looked at Chewie. Ashkii probably didn't like Poe touching his legs. "Chewie, can you hold him still? I'm gonna get it off of you, but I need you to hold still. It's not going to feel good and you're not gonna like it." He started cutting through the metal. Ashkii let out a scream. Poe tried to block it out, but it was a sound that would stay with him forever. "Ashkii, _please_."

"H-h-hurts, Master!" Ashkii thrashed and watched as a bead of blood mixed with urine dropped on the table. Poe took a breath and hurled the cage across the room. He took one of the disinfecting rags and started wiping him down. Ashkii sobbed and looked away.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Poe whispered. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Terrified eyes met his and Poe tried to keep his calm. He'd heard about human pets before. Ashkii was acting like one. He wasn't acting like a slave, not even a broken one. He was acting like a whipped dog. Poe tried to contain his vomit. If Ashkii was a pet, Poe had to keep him. Otherwise, he would be out to sleep. Poe couldn't let them kill a baby if he had one.

"I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore," Poe promised.


	3. I'll Help You

Ashkii. _Ashkii_. He rolled the name around in his head, trying to figure out if he liked it or not. It was certainly a better name than _Tage_ , which his Master had always snarled like a curse word. He supposed that Ashkii was better than that. Master kept taking the rag and wiping off the blood that came from the place where the cage had been wrenched off. He wanted to sob from the pain, but a good pet kept quiet and allowed Master to do what he wanted. This Master seemed to be kinder, gentler. Master wasn't trying to hurt him on purpose. Not like the other one had.

"Okay, Chewie, I think you can let him up." Master suppressed the smile and Chewie obeyed. Ashkii tried to stand up on shaky feet and told himself not to look where the cage had been. Pets didn't touch themselves. They had no say over what Master did with their bodies. "Ashkii, I'm going to give you a weak antibiotic. Nothing very strong, but just enough to make you feel a bit better, okay."

"Thank you, Master." Ashkii inclined his head in what he hoped would be suitably subservient for his Master. The welts on his back still hurt and he had no desire to give his new Master any reason to hurt him. Master rooted around through the drawers and pulled out a bottle of blue pills.

"Let's see...we do these by weight..." Master seemed to be thinking out loud and he gestured for Ashkii to stand under a scanning bar. "Well, that answers that question and I think these are safe to give you." With that confusing statement, Master tipped too of the blue capsules into his hand and gave them to Ashkii. The red haired slave took them dry and got a pat on the head as a reward, along with Master still looking through the drawers. "Course, I don't think those guys owned you cause I think you'd look a little better if they did. Probably oughta call Jess and Finn, see if they can get the transporter to tow this thing to Teardrop. That's, what, six parsecs from here?"

"I don't know, Master," Ashkii admitted. He frowned as something crossed his mind. The chip in his mind, a reworked obedience chip from the Clone Wars, didn't allow him to access most of his memories. The ones he had left, that was. Master had always said that paying to have Ashkii mind wiped was te single most expensive thing he'd done. But that Master had liked pretty things and Ashkii was a pretty thing. _Such a pretty thing_ , whispered the voice in his ear and phantom hands stroked his hair. Ashkii fought off a wave of disgust. He didn't like it. He never had.

"I wasn't asking you," Master snapped.

Ashkii cringed and vowed to stay silent until he was sure Master had directed a question at him. He looked at the floor and then back at the long coat the creature, Chewie was holding. He held it out to Tage like a gift and the slave took it, secretly glad to be able to hide the infection swelling his most sensitive places. Ashkii had been much more hungry than usual lately and sometimes his stomach cramped up. Chewie motioned for Ashkii to follow. He did, after glancing back to see Master tapping on his comm. Ashkii knew enough about such things to know that Master had taken images of him. Maybe it should have bothered him, but Ashkii couldn't find the energy to care.

Besides, what slave could argue with a Master and win? The stripes on his back attested to that fact.

Chewie offered him a glass of juice from the smuggler's own stores before going off. Probably, from the direction of it, going to lock the smugglers in their own brig until they got to "Teardrop". Ashkii wasn't sure where Teardrop was, or why Master was so outraged at his condition. He was a slave, after all. And slaves got what they got. A pet was even lower than a slave and that was what Ashkii was. He was a human pet.

Master wandered back into the galley. "Sorry for snapping at you. That was wrong on my part."

Ashkii bowed his head from where he'd huddled on the floor. "I shouldn't have answered you, Master." He swallowed, thinking of all the punishments he'd endured since the Fall of... His mind went blank then and Ashkii cursed himself. He pressed his face to Master's leg, hoping that Master would understand what he'd done and why it was wrong. "I will take my punishment."

Master pushed him back. "Ashkii! No!"

He cringed on the floor. Ashkii had _really_ done it now! "T-t-tell me what you want, Master! I'll give it to you!"

"Ashkii." Master knelt on the floor and gathered him into a hug. "Ashkii. Buddy. I'm not sure what's screwed up in that pretty little head of yours, but I don't want you to do that. You're already sick, buddy. And the scan said you were pregnant."

"Master?" Ashkii whispered. "But...but I'm male."

"You're half human, buddy." Master helped him up. "The scan was inconclusive on the other half, but you're only half human. I'm not sure what the other part is and I'm not sure how many you have. It was just a basic scan."

Ashkii huddled in Master's embrace, trying to think of what had just happened. Pets **never** had babies. Pets were bad slaves who couldn't be controlled otherwise. They were too pretty for their Masters to sell, so they lost their disobedience. Ashkii was a pet. He obeyed his Master to the best of his ability. So why...why...why was he having this baby? Why had his body decided to let it take, rather than let it die.

"Master?" Ashkii didn't realize he was crying until Master thumbed away his tears, or the fact that he'd almost crawled in the shorter man's lap. Master held him, soothing back his long red hair. Hair the color of a Lirian sunrise, someone once said. Ashkii wished he remembered who.

"It's gonna be okay," Master reassured him. "Do you...want it or not?"

Ashkii looked at Master blankly. "Master?" He tried to force his battered mind into _thinking_. It never worked, sadly. He snuggled closer to the darker man, delighted by the way he was being held. It felt...right? He wasn't sure why, but he liked it. "It's a part of me?"

"Yeah..." Master trailed off.

"I want all my parts." Ashkii nuzzled into Master, delighted by the fact that he wasn't being slapped or told he couldn't. Master sighed and held him until the others came and Chewie wrapped him in a thick blanket. He dozed off in that and didn't wake for hours.


	4. It Will Be Okay

Poe's problem was currently snuggled up on his chest, blissfully unaware of the fact that the child he was carrying was also part of somebody else. Such as, the person who had owned him. The person who had probably forced Ashkii into doing this. And it wasn't the slave's fault. He probably hadn't known what was happening, if the way he currently acted was any go-by. After all, he was a slave. Ashkii had probably been born into it and made a pet at an early age.

The pilot absently petted Ashkii's hair as he waited for Finn and Jess to show up. They were needed. His little ship couldn't possible tow the bigger frigate back to Teardrop all by it's lonesome. No, another gunboat or two was needed. They'd have to move fast, though. Poe might have had evidence and taken possession of the smuggled slave, but that didn't mean things were going to be all butterflies and roses from there on out. Ashkii was a pet. He had no free will of his own and he was going to have a baby. Poe pretty much felt responsible for the poor man.

Ashkii made a happy sound and nuzzled into Poe. An odd light shone in his green eyes, as if he was remembering who Poe was. Poe stroked the slave's face and smiled when Ashkii pushed into it. The man was affectionate. He clearly craved being touched and enjoyed the contact. That was good, because Poe was a tactile person. He liked to touch and he enjoyed it. If Ashkii liked it, too, all the better.

"Poe?" Finn called. He came in through the common room and nodded when he saw Ashkii. "So that's him. Huh."

"I think he's a pet." Poe brushed back a little of the red hair. Ashkii turned around and looked at Finn with wide green eyes. "He's definitely another Brendol Hux clone. This makes, what, fifteen we have now? Not counting your buddy Nines."

Finn grinned. "Nines is pretty cool. He's been teaching some of the new recruits the basics of shooting. I liked him a little, you know. But you wanna guess who he's mooning over? Not that she'll see him with Jacen Solo around!"

"I think he looks a little softer than the others, though," Poe mused. He helped Ashkii up. The slave looked at him with innocent green eyes. Poe's heart melted. As much as he wanted to kiss Ashkii, it wasn't a good idea to do so. Ashkii had been tortured. His body didn't belong to him. Ashkii's mind was so messed up that it wasn't even funny. He needed a soft place to land. He didn't need some horny pilot to jump his bones when he was already with child.  Ashkii needed to be hugged and fed and washed and pampered.

"He's a pleasure slave," Finn shrugged. He nodded as he looked at the smuggler's ship. "Yeah...we'll help you get this to Teardrop. And we'll help you deal with your new slave."

Poe winced. He took Ashkii's hand. "He's not my slave."

"Poe, he's a pet." Finn gave Poe a long look as they went to the brig. "The First Order made a thousand or so of them. They just forgot to sterilize him. A lot of officers wanted a cute little slave like him who couldn't say no."

He grimaced as he looked at Ashkii. The other man was looking at the ship like it was an amazing thing. "I don't want to hurt him."

"You won't." Finn sighed as he looked at the happily babbling slave. Poe winced. There wasn't much going on his head. And that was by design. Someone had seen a bright, perfectly normal human being and turned him into a babbling idiot. A babbling idiot who was hurting from an infection and a man who had been abused. Someone had impregnated him without his consent. Ashkii looked around at Poe and beamed. He took Poe's hand in his and looked at the pilot with adoration. Poe's heart broke. "You can't hurt him."

"He's pregnant." Poe allowed the other man to walk beside him, clutching his hand like a lifeline.

Finn cursed. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure." Poe sighed and motioned for Chewie to follow with him. "He's half human. He's not Yavinese like I am."

The dark skinned man nodded as they got Ashkii loaded in the gunboat. "We'll get him in the medical bay, see what we can find on him. He's gotta be somebody. He's too pretty for it not to be. That, or we can find who used to own him. He's too pretty for someone not to have mentioned him."

It was the truth. Ashkii followed on Poe's heels like a lost puppy, his eyes so very hopeful. The green eyed man stayed right up close to him and pressed his slender body into Poe's. Poe looked up at the taller man and grinned. Ashkii smiled and looked at him. He was truly helpless. Poe dreaded taking him through the city. A pet was a soft target. They couldn't say no. Poe might give him that permission, but it meant little. He was just a weakened slave and a pawn in life's game. He'd need more help than Poe could give him.

"We need to see Kylo," Poe finally said. "That, or get the chip out of his head. Ashkii needs a chance." He'd never been given one before and Poe was going to give him one.


	5. Let's Go

"Ashkii?" The dark skinned man, the one Master called "Finn", took his elbow. "Okay... Poe's gonna finish the rest of his patrol. We'll be towing that ship to Teardrop and Poe's gonna doctor your papers. Are you **sure** you don't know who your Master was?"

Ashkii shook his head and looked down. He bit his bottom lip as he tried to remember. Nothing but the beatings and the blood and the pain. "I'm sorry, Master Finn." He looked up, fear in his green eyes. "But I...I don't remember." He curled in on himself, trying to forget the fear and the pain he'd endured from the things Masterhad done. But Master had said he wouldn't have had to do them if Ashkii had just **obeyed**. "He...he hurt me if I asked." Ashkii swallowed and hoped that was enough for Master Finn. "Are...are you angry?"

"What?" Master Finn looked taken back. "Oh, no, I'm not." He sighed and motioned for Ashkii to follow him. "I was just asking. Anyways, Poe said you needed a bath." He stopped in front of a refresher and gestured inside. "Do you need me to show you how to work the taps?"

"I think I can do it," Ashkii softly said. He waited until Master Finn was gone before pulling off the coat Master had given him. Ashkii folded it neatly and placed it on a shelf. He didn't know why he did that, nor did he know why it was so important to him. So was staying clean, but a slave couldn't always afford that. So Ashkii washed himself, smiling as the hot water washed over his aching body. It felt so very good right now, loosening the tight muscles. Master would have said it was because he was going to have a baby, but AShkii wasn't sure what to think. He poked his middle again, frowning. It felt normal, just a little tight.

It looked like Master Finn had given him clothing to wear. Ashkii dressed himself after he was done washing. One of his old Master's things had been to take him many times and not allow Ashkii to clean himself between them. The slave shuddered as he washed. Yes...he despised that. It was one of the reasons why he wanted to be so good. Master owned him. Master had the power to make life good for Ashkii or make life hell. Master Finn nodded after he dressed and gave the slave a plate of food. Ashkii ate slowly and made sure to eat every bit of it. His belly felt uncomfortably tight afterwards, but there wasn't anything he could say against it. He was a slave and a slave didn't always know when he was going to eat again.

Master came back several hours later and crashed into his bed. Ashkii followed him and wiggled under the sheets. Master took a breath and buried his face in Ashkii's neck. It felt odd, to be spooned against the taller man, but he welcomed it. Master wrapped an arm around his waist and held him still. Ashkii dropped off to sleep as best he could, hoping that the nightmares wouldn't bother him tonight.

Both men woke up with Ashkii curled into the dips and contours of Master's chest. Come to think of it, Master was probably up before him, but Master was so warm and Ashkii was so exhausted that he didn't notice. Master certainly didn't protest and didn't try to hurt him. For that, Ashkii was happy. He was resting and only began to awake when a hand started to pet his hair. At first, it felt good and Ashkii leaned into the touch. Then Master leaned over and kissed the top of his head.

"I think you really like me," Master laughed. He started to sit up, smiling when Ashkii slowly opened his eyes. "You okay? Finn scare you?"

"I'm sorry, Master." Ashkii looked down, fully aware that he'd asked to be abused by getting in the bed without asking permission.

"No, don't be." Master helped him up and grabbed a clean shirt. "I'm going to run you by Kylo Ren. We think you're a Hux clone, but if we can get him to look at you, we might have a way to deal with your chip without brain surgery." Master pulled it on and motioned for Ashkii to follow him out. Ashkii obeyed, mostly because he was a good boy and he wanted to stay one. "The less we have to put you under, the less we have to worry about the baby."

Ashkii touched his belly. "I don't feel anything, Master. And I'm not very big."

"The scan said you weren't very far along," Master shrugged. He gathered a few things and guided Ashkii out of the room. Ashkii smiled and looked over at him. Master smiled and ruffled his hair. It felt good, so Ashkii pressed into Master. Master was going to take him to somebody who would help. It had to do with the baby, probably. They were so worried about him and the baby. Ashkii wasn't sure why. He also wasn't sure why he cringed back when a man with long, dark hair and a scar bisecting his face docked with the ship. He noticed that Master didn't like him very much, either. The slave shivered and pressed into Master's side.

"You're looking at a pet." The man sat on a couch and looked at Ashkii with baleful dark eyes. "A maltreated, pregnant _pet_. There isn't much you can do with him because he has no memories."


	6. Some Help Now

Poe gritted his teeth. Couldn't he see that Ashkii was scared of him? Couldn't Kylo see that they already **knew** the poor man had been abused and tortured? That he was underweight and pregnant? Ashkii made a whimpering sound and clutched Poe's hands. Kylo tossed his legs over the table as he got up. Even with Rey balancing him out, the Sith was still powerful. He was still dark to a point. Kylo growled and made Poe step back. He put a hand on the slave's head. Ashkii made a frightened sound and fell to his knees. Poe closed his eyes and looked away. Poor Ashkii. He knew what the slave was feeling and couldn't help him.

"M-m-master!" Ashkii fell to his knees, wailing. He crawled to Poe and put his face on top of Poe's boots. "Please...please...tell me what I did! I-I-I don't want--I don't want--!"

"You're hurting him!" Poe snarled. He pulled Ashkii to his feet, rubbing the poor slave's back. Ashkii bawled and put his face in POe's shoulder. Poe held the slave tightly, running his hands through the man's tangled red hair. Kylo looked at Poe like he was bored. Poe fought back his own experiences and tried to keep calm. "You're one sick dog, aren't you?! You hurt me like that and now you're torturing a pregnant _slave_?!"

"If you're done yelling at me..." Kylo growled. He dropped back on the couch, smiling. Ashkii whimpered, his eyes screwed shut. Finn was cursing under his breath and dropped back. Poe settled on one of the chairs and drew Ashkii up to sit with him. The slave crawled on his lap and tried not to bawl. Poe rubbed his back. It took Ashkii a few minutes before he calmed down. "He has a chip in him and his memories were wiped. There is nothing going on up there. He's a pet and I would suggest that you get rid of him."

Poe's breath caught. "He's going to have a _baby_ , Kylo. Ashkii is a human being who is going to have a baby. I'm not letting them kill a child and he said that he wanted it!"

"He also worships you," Kylo reported. "Like he's your _dog_. His Master took him from behind, so don't grab his hips. It scares him. You're looking at an absolute waste of carbon. You might try removing the chip, but his memories are gone. Only a miracle could get them back and you might not want that. After all, he loves you in a twisted way. You are his Master. And are you sure he even understood what you meant when you asked him if he wanted a baby?"

The problem was, Poe knew Ashkii didn't understand what he was saying. Ashkii was beyond messed up. He didn't understand what had been done to him. He was crawling all over Poe like Poe was his lifeline. And, to the slave, Poe probably was. He'd taken Ashkii out of the cage. He'd saved the man from a life of misery wherever he was going. Yet...there was something odd in those green eyes. They spoke to a hidden nature to him, to the way that he was begging Poe for help. He was pretty. His skin was pale white, his hair like flame, and his eyes as green as hyperdrive plasma.

"He's a person," Poe flatly said. "If we get the chip removed, like you did for that Knight of yours--"

"Scurra has the Force," Kylo interrupted. "Your Ashkii is as Force sensitive as a rock. He's a broken slave. As his owner, you have every right to just get rid of him. I wouldn't burden myself with a worthless slave. And **you** will be raising his child."

"I raised Esperanza by myself," Poe flatly said. He helped the man sit up, rubbing Ashkii's back. He'd been sixteen and scared. Knocked up by a slaver captain. Leia had saved his life and called him some horrible things just to drop the price on Poe and his little girl. Esperanza had been the light of his life in the long months after his delivery in the bowls of a slave ship. Poe knew how lucky he was that nothing had gone wrong. It was hard, though, to balance a child with his life. "I can help raise Ashkii's kid."

"The child might have brain damage," Kylo argued. "This best plan of action is to get rid of that slave!"

"The best plan of action for Leia was to leave me!" Poe snapped. "Or did you miss that while you were off playing marauding Shadow Knight?!"

"You had all of your mental faculties!" Kylo retorted. He leaned back on the chair, glaring at Ashkii. The red haired slave whimpered and pressed his body into Poe's. Poe held him tightly, silently promising that he'd always take care of Ashkii. It wasn't his fault. None of this was. He'd never asked to be impregnated. And the baby...the baby was innocent. "You weren't cowering at everything and you could be trusted to feed a baby without being ordered too!"

"I'm getting that chip taken out of him," Poe vowed. "I don't care what you think. And I don't know why the hell I thought you'd be helpful! Not only did you hurt him, you're arguing for murder. Because he wants that baby and I'm pretty sure Ashkii wants to live."

"Ashkii has no free will," Kylo growled. He brushed back his long hair, looking at Poe as if he could see the way he'd been in that ship. His legs splayed open, screaming, pushing, trying to bring a child into the world as the handlers looked on. One of them had finally helped when the screaming got annoying, he'd said. But that guard was the reason why Esperanza lived instead of died. "He'll never have it again. You can thank Kanjiklub and his men for that."

Poe stood and took Ashkii in his arms. The slave clung to him, his eyes screwed shut. He was so scared, so scared. Poe had no idea what he was going to do. Kylo was right. This wasn't like Poe and Esperanza. This was something new and different. Poe was determined to make this work, though.


	7. Teardrop

Master lavished extra attention on Ashkii for the next few days until they reached Teardrop. Since Ashkii was in good health (or so the scanners said), Master said that there was no reason they couldn't finish the patrol. They did send the smugglers to Concord Prime with a towing ship. Ashkii watched the ship go and felt bad for the smugglers. They hadn't wanted to take him. They had even told Master they would have rather pushed that slave out the airlock rather than take him, but a man named Tarkin had too much money for them to kill him.

Ashkii rested on Master's chest as often as he dared. Master would pet his red hair and tell him how brave he was. He'd say that Ashkii was so very, very brave for not running away from Kylo Ren. He would say that the baby would be okay. Master said that his child Esperanza would like him. Master said she was twelve. Ashkii didn't know how old he was, but Master said he was an adult. He often rested his hands on his belly as he waited for Master to come in after patrols. Master liked him and would often feed him by hand.

"Good boy," Master whispered. Ashkii was often told he was a good boy after he did something right. Master thought he did good things very often. So he'd smile and nod, try to be good. Master smiled at his efforts to clean up his quarters and make the bed. Master touched him gently and said that he was doing very good, but he didn't have to work.

Ashkii nuzzled into Master's touch and accepted the chip. Master liked to watch vids and Ashkii curled up with him. "Thank you, Master." He closed his eyes, knowing that lowering his lashes made him look like he was a beautiful thing. His first Master, Tarkin, had said that he was a beautiful thing. Master never said he was a beautiful thing. Master said that he was a good boy. "Why do you say I'm a good boy?"

"Because you try," Master smiled. Ashkii winced as one of the men on the screen shot another. That scared him. It scared him so much that he shuddered and burrowed under the blankets. "Buddy, you're pregnant and on antibiotics. You have every right to just sleep all day! But you're...well, you're not exactly a slob, are you? That, or you're bored out of your mind."

"I want to make it good for you, Master," Ashkii said.

Master shut the holo off and rolled over. Ashkii snuggled into his chest and sighed happily as Master flopped his arm over the slave's belly. It was so easier to sleep if he had Master with him. Master was big and solid and warm against his back. Master brushed a chaste kiss against the back of his neck as the two men fell asleep. Ashkii never slept very soundly. He had too many nightmares for that. Nightmares of a man holding him down and making him bleed. Nightmares of men taking him from a place in the middle of the night and taking him to a medical bay. It wasn't _Home Sweet Home_ , it was some place cold and cruel and industrial.

Every time he had those nightmares, he woke up panting. Master's even breathing and heartbeat calmed him. Even when he was scared of the shuttle that was taking him down to the surface of Teardrop. Ashkii held on to Master tightly, as he was scared of the shuttle rattling around them.

Master laughed. "It's okay, Ashkii. We're just passing through atmosphere."

"It scares me," Ashkii softly said. He wrapped his arms around his knees and tried not to cry out. Master sighed and helped him up. Ashkii clung to Master and tried not to look at the red glow around the windows. Master kissed the top of his head and told him that it would be okay. Going through the gates took skill on Master's part. The man who inspected them made a few remarks to Master, mostly saying that he would have never taken Master as the type to own a slave. Ashkii shivered and looked away. This was scary.

"I kinda intercepted a pet," Master finally said. "If I don't take him, he will be put down. And he's pregnant."

"Oh." The gate guard bit his bottom lip as he looked over the papers. "Yeah...these are right. That's a miracle, that his papers are all right."

It was **green**. Ashkii staggered as they walked out of the grey marble building. Vines were climbing up the outside of the building and colorful blooms scented the air. Ashkii stopped short, his jaw dropped. He'd never been outside before. This was...overwhelming to him. A sky the purest blue stretched out over them and the streets were divided by strips of grass the purest green. Small flowers waved in the breeze and Ashkii didn't know what to say. He looked at all of it, trying to understand what was going on.

"Ashkii?" Master asked. He looked over at the red head. Ashkii bent down, touching the slender blade of grass that grew from the crack in the sidewalk. "Are you okay, buddy?"

"It's...Master!" Ashkii flinched back as a woman walking a hairy black thing pranced in front of them. "Master! What is _that_?"

"That's a dog, Ashkii." Master sounded like he was trying not to laugh. Ashkii huddled close to Master as they walked through the city. It seemed that Master lived in the countryside. He...raised nerfs? That sounded bad to him, but Ashkii didn't know why. Master was a wonderful person. Master had saved his life and Master loved him. Master took care of him when he got sick and injured.

He nestled into Master's side as they rode the train out to where Master lived. Master kept an arm over him the entire time.


	8. Home on the Range

Poe laughed when Ashkii seemed to think it was a bad thing he had a ranch out in the country side. It was cute, looking at the strange face Ashkii made when he mentioned the face. Poe hoped that it was a little bit of the man's natural personality coming through. After all, Ashkii had some traits that must have come from who he was before. For example, Ashkii was a neat freak. He liked to pick things up, he liked to put them away, he liked to have everything in its proper place. Poe let him. It was easier than fighting him about it or messing with the pet's CDO. Everything had to be in it's place and the bed made, every morning.

Right now, Ashkii looked rather cute as he snuggled into Poe's side. Poe kept his arm tossed over the slave as he looked at the things he'd need to do. Getting Ashkii into surgery would be hard. Most intensive brain surgeries were reserved for the seriously injured, not for someone trying to rehab a damaged pet. And there was a chance that the chip's protocols were so wired into Ashkii's brain that he was simply removing the artifact, not the problem. But it was still hard to hate the man nestled into his side and smiling as he slept.

Ashkii's reaction to the outside had been priceless. He had literally stopped walking in the middle of the road and just stood there. Several people had pushed him, and Ashkii stumbled, but he'd looked at the trees and the sky with the wonder of someone who'd never seen either. And to see him touch the grass outside the station and say it was so soft made Poe smile. He was going to ignore Ashkii's fear of dogs. That one probably came from wherever they'd stripped his free will. This was not Ashkii's fault. Poe had no idea who Ashkii had been before this, but he was betting that the poor man didn't deserve the torture he'd gotten.

"Ashkii..." Poe shook the slave as the train slowed. "Wake up, buddy. We're almost home. We're going to stay outside if you like that."

"Master?" Ashkii blinked his green eyes and Poe felt his heart breaking. There was a very high chance that all Poe would ever be to this beautiful, delicate man was "Master". And Poe couldn't bring himself to love a broken slave. He definitely cared for Ashkii, but that was all. "Home?"

"Yes, buddy. Home." Poe gathered the things he'd taken on the ship for patrols. "If you need to, we'll sit out on the porch all day. You could do with some sun anyways."

Ashkii frowned as he thought. Poe had learned the hard way that "want" did not compute with Ashkii. There was an incident where Poe asked if Ashkii wanted food. Ashkii had frozen up and stammered something about not wanting anything. It wasn't until Ashkii was crying with hunger that Poe realized his mistake. Thank the gods that "need" did compute. "Thank you, Master." He frowned as he rubbed at his arms. "Are...are you going to let the dogs chase me?"

"I have two _good_ dogs," Poe sighed. "Shara is a herding dog. She's not gonna chase you, Ash. She might try to herd you, just she's not going to chase you up a tree. Tiberius might bark at ya, buddy, but he's a sweetheart. They'll like you. I promise."

Ashkii nodded, but he didn't look convinced. "Dogs hate me," he whispered. "My old Master let them bite me."

Poe hugged the slave and took him by the hand as they walked to he platform. Poe had stashed his speeder bike there several months before and he produced the identification to get it back. He made Ashkii sit behind him as he gunned the engines and started tearing down the dirt roads until he reached his house. The land he now owned had belong to his mother, Shara. It wasn't much, but it was good enough for him to just mess around with farming. He could always sell the stock and just retire with his dogs.

Besides, the droids did all the work anyways.

Almost as soon as they were home, Ashkii curled up in a warm spot on the porch swing and just slept. Poe thought it would be a shame to move him. The poor slave needed his rest, after all. And Poe had nothing better to do. There were no fences down and the animals had been all taken care of. He could curl up with Ashkii and just watch the day go by. He could pet the slave's head and smile as Ashkii got one of the hummingbirds to land on his fingers. Poe fed them off the back porch and they were fairly friendly.

"You like that, buddy?" Poe softly said. He touched the slave's shoulder and smiled as Ashkii gasped when Shara put her head on his knees. "She's a good dog, buddy. She'll be nice to you."

Ashkii petted the dog and smiled. Poe kissed the slave's forehead. Ashkii nuzzled into him and pretty much forgot the dog as he basked in the warm sunlight. Poe really needed to get in contact with Phas and Doph, but that would wait. What mattered the most was Ashkii's well being and happiness.


	9. Rey

Master was probably too good to him. Ashkii had had a bit of a habit of acting out before and he was betting it wouldn't go away just because his Master held him at night. There were many things that Ashkii wasn't allowed to do, such as touch the stove, and he was more than happy to comply with each one. Master never asked him to wait, kneeling on the floor and as naked as the day Master saved him. There was a little bit of swelling to his belly now. It seemed like Master had talked to an old friend of his, a Doctor Kalonia, and she recommended the surgery after he had the baby. There was less risk of something going wrong, she said.

Ashkii believed her. So as he remade Master's bed and set about gathering laundry, he felt himself wondering what the baby would look like. Tarkin, his first Master, had had cold blue eyes and long blonde hair. Ashkii himself had green eyes and fire red hair. He wondered if the child would look like one or both of them. Kalonia had said that very few pets carried a baby to term, mostly because of complications or forced miscarriages.

"Ashkii!" Esperanza came tearing through the house, Tiberius yelping at her heel. The terrier seemed to like her and Ashkii gave the dogs a wide berth. They still scared him. He much preferred the barn cats than the dogs. "Ashkii! Guess what!"

"Please tell me," Ashkii demurred. Esperanza frowned, but she didn't say anything. She still touched his stomach. "Master said that we won't feel anything yet. It's too early, Mistress Esperanza."

She didn't say anything about the names. Ashkii supposed it was the chip talking. He couldn't do anything more than that. Surely Esperanza knew...? Master did wish for her to learn how to do some basic chores around the house. Ashkii demurred to Master, as he always did, but he still felt that it was his duty to make sure Master still wanted him. That was why he picked up and cleaned what he was allowed to. If he made Master want to keep him, then Master wouldn't sell him to Nar Shadda. Ashkii still shuddered to think of Tarkin coming between his legs. It had **hurt**.

"We're gonna try to hatch chickens!" the little girl gushed. "And I'm gonna ask Daddy if we can keep them!" she seemed to be bouncing on her heels. Ashkii felt a small smile curve across his face. He settled down across from her and watched as she set her school things around on the counter. Tiberius rested on her feet and looked up at Ashkii with adoring brown eyes. The pet ignored the dog. "I'll bet Daddy is gonna let us keep the baby chickens. Cause they're so cute and fuzzy! Just like the kittens in the barn, only these get to come in the house! Oh...Daddy told me to tell you that Auntie Rey was coming over, but not Kylo. She wants to see how the baby is doing. Sometimes people say things to me in school 'cause Daddy is Yavinese, but I--"

Ashkii tuned her out and started gathering the things for supper. He only nodded and added the odd "Yes, Mistress Esperanza" whenever he felt like it was appropriate. Ashkii settled back against the counter. He tugged at the hem of his lose shirt and wondered what had happened. It felt so strange. If Rey was to be here, then Ashkii needed to have the place looking sharp. He might not like Kylo, but he could stand Rey.

"Hey, Ash." Master dropped his things on the meticulously cleaned counter and brushed a kiss against Ashkii's neck. "I assume Esperanza told you--"

"Daddy!" Esperanza shrieked. Ashkii winced. That child was **loud**. "We're gonna hatch chickens in class! I wanna keep them! Please!"

"Chickens?" Master dryly asked. Ashkii innocently went back to washing off the glasses. Nope. He'd never heard of that plan. "Are you sure you can take care of these chickens?"

"I help you take care of Ashkii!" Esperanza proudly said. Ashkii tried not to roll his eyes. A pet was not supposed to have these sorts of grudging emotions. A pet was supposed to sit and shut up and take it. "I make sure he eats breakfast with us every morning and he doesn't forget!"

Or just decide not to eat because he'd been bad and he needed to be punished and Master must expect him to punish himself because he never did a thing about it. A pet was not supposed to push a Master away from him, no matter how sore or tired they were. A pet was supposed to take it like a good boy. Ashkii had found a few tubes of lubricant in the drawers and assumed that Master meant to use it "when Ashkii got better".

"I'll go get Rey," Master sighed. Ashkii put up the glasses he'd been washing and turned to the plates. "Ash, baby, you can use the dishwasher, okay? That's why we got it."

"It makes my mind feel better, Master." All the same, Ashkii demurred and drained out the sink. Well, there was that idea ruined. He needed more things to occupy his day. Ashkii could read, he wasn't sure why, but he was betting Master's books were forbidden to him. It was lashes for a slave in the First Order to be seen with a book. He shivered and wiped off the plates before setting them in. At least he could try to be useful.

"Auntie Rey!" Esperanza went flying across the house and gave the shirt woman a hug. Ashkii realized that he was the tallest person in the room and slumped in on himself to seem a shorter. A pet must never try to usurp his Master in any way. "We're gonna get chickens!"

Ashkii managed to hide the laugh as a cough. Mostly. He was pretty sure Master rolled his eyes.

"You are?" Rey grinned. She looked over at Master. "Does your father know about this?"

"Not until you did." Master sat down at the bar counter and aimed a thumb at Ashkii. Ashkii stopped what he was doing and looked at the small woman. "So...Kylo scared the poodoo out of him. Didn't help. The docs aren't interested in rehabing him on Teardrop. Kalonia said to wait. He's gonna have a baby in about six month's time. Really cute, kinda stubborn in a demure way, and a pet. Can you help?"

Rey touched his hand. Ashkii didn't draw away. He just looked over at Rey, confused by what he was there. She was...familiar? Rey frowned and she must have been touching his mind because, "It's a _nightmare_ in there, Poe. He's a mess. Even if he **was** a person before this...there's no telling. Maybe he has some traits. I'm not sure how many red heads with OCD have gone missing in the past twenty nine years. It's kind of hopeless, Poe."

Master sighed. "Yeah...but I want him to be a person again, y'know?"

"I know." Rey turned to Esperanza and started talking with her. Ashkii watched Master with a strange sadness in his eyes. "It might be hopeless. We can try....but his head is just a jumbled mess."

That night, even Master's spaghetti tasted like ashes as he ate. Ashkii didn't need to look at Master to know it. He was a hopeless lost cause. He couldn't even make things good for Master and he was forbidden from servicing him. All Ashkii could do was cuddle to his Master and try not to cry himself to sleep. He wasn't a real person. He'd never been a real person. He was just a pet and that was all he was ever going to be. Why couldn't Master just do that and use him like he was made for?


	10. Time Passes

Poe got the feeling that Ashkii was doing as good as he said he was. Sure, the slave was still doing his normal duties and Poe gave him some of the books to read. To see Ashkii beam and act like this was Christmas was heartbreaking. The red haired slave had no idea what was going on. He was often curled up on the couch with a book in his lap. The slave's belly had a gentle swell to it now. He was farther along and regular trips to the doctor said that everything was going right. Ashkii was at a healthy weight, he was eating good, and he was getting everything he needed. That was good. If Ashkii was still a pet, he wouldn't be getting any of what he needed. Here, with Poe and Esperanza, he was getting good care.

"Hey, Snap?" Poe trotted up the stairs and corralled his best friend. "What did we get from those smugglers we picked up? Anything at all?"

Snap shook his head. They'd gone to the Republic HQ on Teardrop to try and find out a little bit about the pet trade. If they could pinpoint who was selling human pets, they might be able to help Ashkii. And he was such a good boy. Poe smiled at the slave. Give him a book and he'd happily read for hours. It really did break Poe's heart seeing him like that.

"They just got paid by Tarkin," Snap sighed. He put the papers on the table. Poe nodded and looked over them. He didn't like leaving Ashkii alone. The slave did tend to get in trouble. He was that kind of person. "They're out of Rhea, big surprise there, they owned the ship, and Tarkin strong armed them into taking Ashkii. Neither man liked to haul slaves. And Ashkii looked bad..to them."

Poe swore under his breath as he looked at the papers. _Nothing_. Nothing of any import. So that was out. But thank the gods that they had Ashkii. Pinpointing the pet trade would be hard. Kylo said that the First Order had done it before. If Ashkii had just been a slave at a bad place...he could have been turned into a pet. "Okay, yeah, I get that. But he's just a damaged guy here. Why would you just turn a slave into a pet?"

"There are sick sick sons of bitches in this galaxy," Snap muttered. He looked over at the peaceful slave. Ashkii noticed and smiled beatifically. Poe's throat constricted. "Results came back on the DNA test. He's more of a match to Techie than he is Nines. Not by much, but enough to raise a few eyebrows. He's not a clone."

"Hux is dead." Poe reached for one of the snacks Snap always brought with him. The man sighed, but allowed it. "We know Hux is dead because the _Finalizer_ exploded. All the reports said he went down with his ship. And there was enough of his blood in the wreckage to support that. But if you're saying _Ashkii_ destroyed the Hosnian System, I gotta say that I'm wondering what planet you're on! He trembles if you look crossways at him! I just don't see him commanding a ship. Hell, Snap, he doesn't understand the word _want_."

"But think of Hux without being mind raped," Snap grimly said. "You have to admit...if you don't want to kill a man, and you hate him, turning him into a pet is one way to do it. And we know that Tarkin blew the _Finalizer_ to hell. Who's to say he didn't take Hux instead and turn him into Ashkii the slave?"

Poe looked over at the contented slave. He had to admit, it made sense. He bit his bottom lip. "Hey, Ashkii?"

The slave perked up almost instantly. "Yes, Master?"

"I want you to look at something." Poe called up a picture of the doomed ship and projected it into the air. Ashkii ambled over and looked at it. He seemed awed by the blue lights flashing and making the picture of a big ship. "Can you tell me what that is, buddy?"

"I think it's the _Finalizer_ , Master," Ashkii softly said. "I...I remember her. Is that bad?"

"Shit." Poe looked at Snap and felt like hurling. So the guy he'd been letting-- Oh, he didn't want to think about it. "Yeah...you might be right. So what am I going to do with him?"

"He's your pet. As much as I hate it, euthanasia is always an option." Snap didn't meet his eyes. "Just let him have the baby first is all I'm asking. But he's yours. You can do whatever the hell you want with him, not excluding Nar Shadda."

"Am I bad, Master?" Ashkii softly asked. Fear shown in his green eyes. A very real fear, too. He hugged his belly like a cowering slave. Poe tried to control the disgust he felt at looking at Starkiller's creator. He'd welcomed that monster into his home.

"And I was going to drop thousands of credits on him, too," Poe growled. He turned on his heels. "Take him to D'qar's lockup. He's Leia's problem now."

"Master?" Ashkii cried. "Master! Please! Please don't go! I promise I'll be good! Please!"

Poe just shut the door and walked away. He felt filthy for letting that _animal_ stay in his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone even still reading this? Or can I just take it down and no one will complain?


	11. Abandoned

"Master!" Ashkii tried to scramble after his Master, terror in his eyes. "Master, please! Tell me what I did wrong!" He didn't want to go to Nar Shadda. He wanted to go home, he wanted to sleep in the sunshine, he wanted to watch Esperanza, he wanted what came when you had a kind Master who cared a lot for you. The man shivered and ran after the pilot. Master didn't turn around, it was as if all of Ashkii's pleas had fallen on deaf ears. Master didn't even turn around to say what Ashkii had done so he could fix it. The man crumpled against a wall, sobbing. He should have **never** spoken the truth about that ship. He should have just played that he was a pet and a pet didn't know anything...

"Hey, hey." It was Master Snap, Master's friend. Ashkii turned his head and grabbed Master Snap's shirt, bawling. Why had Master abandoned him like this? Why? When Ashkii needed Master more than ever because he was going to have a baby and it might even be twins because he was too big for someone only four months along...! Ashkii bawled into the shirt, not caring that he was breaking the rules and being a bad slave. He really did want his Master back. He wanted the arms to hold him at night as he dreamed... "Okay. I'm gonna comm General Leia, okay? You just need to sit down and calm down, please?"

Ashkii took a shaky breath and allowed himself to be lead to a couch. He huddled on it, his head between his legs. Not even the bay bump made him feel better now. He really did need his Master. He just wanted the man who'd rescued him and been kind to him. "Why did he leave me, Master Snap?"

"I'm not sure," Master Snap sighed. He dried off Ashkii's face as best he could and got a comm. "Hey, General? This is Wexley. Yeah...we got an id on Poe's pet. And you're not going to believe this... It's Hux. General Armitage Hux got turned into a pet. He's pregnant and in real bad shape."

Ashkii thought he heard the woman on the other end say that she would send a transport for him. He wasn't sure what happened most of that day. Master Snap brought him food. It wasn't Master's spicy food, which he craved. It was bland fair he got out of a vending machine. Ashkii ate it anyways. His child demanded food almost constantly. Master Snap didn't keep a blaster trained on him. He just sighed and looked away. Ashkii didn't understand why. He took handfuls of the shirt abd sniffed it, trying to catch Master's scent.

Men with blasters came an hour later to pick him up. Ashkii submitted weakly to the binders and the stun collar on his neck. He was a bad boy and bad boys deserved this. He had made Master not want him and this was what he deserved for doing something stupid. Master Snap shook his head sadly, though, and said something about the men not needing blasters.

"He can't run," Master Snap finally said. "He doesn't need that! He's not a dangerous criminal!"

"This man destroyed the Hosninan System," one of the guards growled. "I'm pretty sure he's a dangerous criminal, even if he's acting like a little mouse!"

That became his nickname on the shuttle to D'qar. "Little Mouse". It wasn't like the "Ash" Master had so kindly called him, it was a slur and it stung. All Ashkii wanted to do was go home to Teardrop. He tried not to shield his eyes as he was escorted from the shuttle and into a dingy grey cell. Ashkii huddled up on the cold metal bunk and sobbed. Master meant to get rid of him, didn't he? Because Ashkii must have been very bad to deserve this. He wasn't sure what he'd done, but he knew he had done something.

Because only bad pets were sent away. And those pets died, because no Master wanted a willful pet.

An older woman came and took him to a medical bay. Ashkii submitted for the exam. She seemed to know what she was doing, prodding his body and scanning him. She must have been used to pregnant men, because she had no reaction to his gently swelling breasts or his baby bump. She smiled kindly at him, though, and said that it might take a day or so to know what he had. Ashkii only looked away. He wanted Master. This was supposed to be happy, but it was only sad.

The food was like ash in his mouth, but hunger from the baby forced him to eat. Ashkii saw himself growing bigger by the day and knew that he only had four more moths to go until his child (or children) came. He wanted his Master. He truly needed Master...

And Master had thrown him to the wolves.

If Ashkii had been able too, he would have raged about the injustice of it all. Instead, he curled up in his cell and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like Mountain Dew. They keep me going and make me write faster
> 
> Kudos are like kittens and make me feel fuzzy inside


	12. I'm Back Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for me not updating in ages. I've been having computer issues and it might be awhile before they get fixed. Right now, I'm just working off of an old laptop and doing what I can. Updates may come sporadically if at all

The house was far too empty without Ashkii. Poe sighed as he tried to work. Esperanza was too young to understand why Ashkii had had to go away. She was only eight, but already she knew about General Starkiller. They probably talked about him at school or something. Poe sighed as he looked around at the empty hose. He'd kicked Ashkii out of his life three months ago and he felt the guilt twist his stomach.

He couldn't keep going like this. Leia had saved him, a pleasure slave with a child. A man who had been presented to her covered with blood and semen. He'd been holding his daughter and trembling. Leia had said a few choice words and he'd been sold to that woman. Han had cleaned him up and helped him. He'd been so young, to have a newborn child. And he'd been sick to the point where he couldn't make milk.

That was how Poe found himself, several hours later, on the D'qar Base. He needed to see Ashkii. As much as he tried to tell him that battered creature was Hux, he couldn't believe it. He had seen too many battered slaves before to feel that Ashkii was something evil. That poor slave had probably been forced before the chip was put in. He would have known, and Tarkin was sick enough to do it.

Poe stopped in front of the cell. Ashkii was curled on his side, a blanket clutched over his skinny frame. His body was swollen tight with pregnancy, but he didn't look happy. His body was too sallow, he was lying too still. Poe cleared his throat. Ashkii jerked up, as much as his swollen body would allow. Startled green eyes met him and Ashkii's jaw dropped.

"Master?" Ashkii softly asked. "Are...are you going to take me home?" So much raw hope shone in his eyes that Poe's heart broke. He clenched the bars tightly as he looked at the poor, shivering slave. A pet who hadn't had a choice...ever. "Or are you going to send me away again?"

"I'm not sure," Poe finally said. He wrestled with the idea, reminding himself that this was the man who destroyed the Hosnian System. But this shattered wreck bore no resemblance to the cruel man on the _Finalizer_. "How far are you along?"

"The Major said that I'm due any time now." Ashkii groaned as he stood up. "I...I have twins, Master. I fear that I can't care for them. And...and I just want them _out_ of me!"

Poe touched Ashkii's hand. "I'll take care of your babies, Ash."

"But I want them..." Ashkii softly whispered. He looked at Poe with heart breaking look in his green eyes. "I just want my babies. I carried them. Why...why can't I have them?"

_Because you were a monster._

But even those words felt wrong as Poe thought them. He sighed and touched the slave's hands. Ashkii's face feel and then he placed one of Poe's hands on his swollen stomach. Poe's eyes widened as he felt a baby kick underneath his hands. Ashkii smiled softly as he looked up. Poe cursed softly. He remembered feeling this with Esperanza, so afraid that the slavers would hit him in the stomach and he would die. Or, alternatively, the baby would die.

"You're a pet, Ash," Poe finally said. He bit his bottom lip as he thought. "I'm gonna take you back, baby. I shouldn't have left you here."

Ashkii beamed. "Thank you, Master! Thank you!"

Poe hugged him awkwardly as he wondered just what he had signed up for. He needed that baby book again. He would also need Leia's help with this. He wasn't all that good with children and Ashkii was having twins. Instead, though, Poe kissed Ashkii on the forehead and walked away. He was going to take care of his slave. His pet...and he was going to get that chip removed.

Askii deserved as much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like skittles. They make me feel good and write faster


	13. They're Here

Ashkii couldn't get comfortable. First of all, his belly had swollen tight and pressed against the waist of every pair of pants he owned. Second, he ached. His back hurt and so did his feet. And he craved food, constantly. Master had taken him back, which was very good, but Ashkii wished he understood why Master had sent him away in the first place. To the best of his understanding (which wasn't good on the best of days), he hadn't done anything wrong. Other than know what a space ship looked like.

But he didn't see why that was a bad thing.

The ginger slave groaned as he tried to adjust himself in the private room. He was too far along for Master to take him home. But he was allowed to walk outside and sit in the sun. Esperanza was often with him and her presence comforted the slave. She had a way of just talking to him that felt good. He liked her, quite a bit, and that helped him out. Ashkii felt good around her. Especially when her little hands patted his belly. 

Ashkii was tired of waddling everywhere. He knew he owed his Master for allowing him to keep the twins. As soon as the babies were out and he was healed enough, Ashkii was fairly sure he'd still be pressed face first into the mattress. He hoped his Master wasn't into things that hurt him. Ashkii knew he couldn't say no, but it still scared him. He looked down at his swollen belly and wondered why he'd been so restless today. Little pains had started up his back sometimes, but the Major said it was just false labor.

Until something hit him so hard that he was gasping. Master shot up straight in the bed and flicked the light on. Ashkii whined and pressed against the swollen mound that was his belly. He was dimly aware of Master asking him things, but that was when the waters from inside of him broke. He wasn't aware of much after that. Just that he was grabbing Master's hands with an intensity that stunned him and Master was telling him it would be okay.

A pet usually didn't warrant anything to dull the pain, but someone dosed him and Ashkii let out a sob of relief. It was like his body was ripping itself apart. He whined and twisted as the Major told him to _push_. The worst of the pain was dulled from the drugs, but there was still enough to tell him that his body was pushing twins into the world. He tried doing what the Major said and tried not to scream, but it was to no avail. Master stayed with him, though, and tried to help.

It felt like hours, hours until the Major pressed a tiny bundle into him. Ashkii held it briefly, smiling when he saw it had a tuft of his fire red hair. He almost asked if it was a boy or a girl, but the next child was starting to demand its entrance into the world. Master took the child from him and held it.

"Your son is beautiful," Master softly said. "I...I never thought something like this could be borne from you."

Ashkii understood. He was just a pet. Just his Master's pet and Master was able to do with him whatever he wanted. Ashkii could only ask for more. Master gave the boy to the Major and returned to watching Ashkii. Ashkii wasn't quite certain what was going on, but he knew that it hurt. The children wouldn't be a part of his physical body anymore. They were coming out of him...and it hurt like hell. 

He wasn't really even aware of it when he saw his second child come into the world. It, too, was a boy and Master cooed over him, too. Ashkii was in no shape to think of names and, even if he could, he would have deferred to his Master. That was the way he had been trained. That was the way he had been taught. It was all he knew and all he'd known for too long. He wasn't sure if he could do anything else.

All Ashkii knew was that Master grounded him and the wail of his newborns was the most beautiful sound in the world.


	14. Newborns

It became pretty abundantly clear that Ashkii just couldn't deal with the twins. He wasn't set up too, not yet. Sure, he could nurse them (and he often did) but he sometimes forgot and even looked at the babies like he didn't know what they even were. That, Poe knew, was probably one of the reasons why most owners terminated any pregnancies a pet might have. It was simply too much work. That, or they spayed a pet to begin with.

Poe held Kestrel on one hip as he fixed the bottle. Thank the gods that Bren was still asleep. He didn't think he could feed both at once. And, while the twins clearly preferred the milk Ashkii made, the pet was also passed out on the bed, holding Bren close. That left Kes, who was the fussier twin. One boy had soft, wheat blonde hair (Bren) and the other had carroty tufts of hair like Ashkii (Kes). Poe shook up the bottle and started to feed the newborn as he looked through his datapad. He looked over to Ashkii and smiled. It looked like Bren was getting snacks from Ashkii and the poor pet was asleep.

"You're at least a little nicer than your brother," Poe smiled. He burped the little boy and changed his diaper. Ashkii was still asleep and Bren made noises like he needed to be changed. "Snacking offa momma when he can't pick you up." But he still changed the kid and put him back. Both boys were here, so they could schedule Ashkii's little surgery and get the dumb-dumb chip out of him.  He wasn't sure how long this would take, but he knew it would take a long time.

Right after the birth was best. They had a week when the surgeon was free. They could take advantage of that time and get Ashkii in before the others knew they had General Starkiller down for surgery.

That done, he left the kids with Rey. He trusted her, not Kylo. Kylo wasn't going to really mess with the kids and Poe was pretty sure he didn't want children. Well, neither did Rey. That could work out well for both of them if they worked it right. If they had a kid, it could go to Dagobah and train.

Poe wasn't sure he wanted Ashkii after he got back from the surgery. Ashkii was really General Hux, albeit a weakened version of him. The slave he was looking at now wasn't the man Hux used to be. This man was beyond broken. There wasn't much you could do with that, if anything. Hux had came to him pregnant. He'd had the babies and Poe's duty to him was probably done. If Poe wasn't such a soft heart and didn't see Esperanza every time he looked at Kes and Bren.

He took care of the kids after Hux got his surgery. The little boys seemed healthy enough and Major Kalonia said that they were doing normally. Did he want to see Hux? Did he even _want_ the slave? He loved the kids (Poe secretly loved children. He would have given anything to have another, but that was Ashkii now), but he didn't want the mess that came with it. Hux shouldn't be his problem. Yet...Hux was. He'd became Poe's problem and now Poe wasn't sure if he wanted to get rid of him or not.

It was several hours before Hux came out of the surgery. Poe wasn't sure if he wanted to go see Hux or not. This was the man who had unleashed Kylo Ren on him. This was the man who had destroyed the Hosnian System. This was the General Starkiller. This was also the guy who basked whenever Poe told him he did a good job.

He looked so much nicer now, not as harsh, with chin length red hair and soft green eyes.

Poe swallowed his fear and greeted Hux in the medical bay.

"Hey." He sat on the other side of the bed, looking at the blinking man. There was awareness in his green eyes that hadn't been there before. "You doing okay?"

Tired green eyes met his and Poe knew he was looking at a hopeless man. Hux ran a hand over his now flat belly and took a deep breath.

"Please..." Hux softly said. "If you're going to kill me, don't...don't kill my children."


	15. Aftershocks

He hurt all over. It was like he'd swallowed a mouthful of cotton balls and then gone on to drink sand. Add in wearing a cactus spine shirt and soaking in vinegar for an hour or so. Yeah...he hurt all over. All he wanted to do was...sleep. There was a large part of him that wanted to seek out this "Master" person and curl up in his lap. With a lot of hair petting. Yes, the hair petting would be good because it made Ashkii/Hux feel very good. Like...he would always be warm and comfortable. Master wouldn't throw him away just because he'd had two...little Ashkiis.

The other part of him, the part that had been crushed by that damned chip wanted to get out of here. Grab the twins, grab the gun, and just run. Run until the First Order, whatever that was, found him. He'd been hungry before. Ashkii-Hux closed his eyes and tried to think. He grabbed the sheets with one hand and twisted them, his brow furrowed in thought.

He didn't think these people, (and his "Master") would kill the babies. No matter what they were born of, he didn't think the babies would die. That was if his admittedly fuzzy memory should. Ashkii the pet seemed more interested in how much he was going to get to eat today and would master please pet his head? It wasn't like Ashkii-Hux had been able to tell his Master no. It seemed strange. The first man who had owned him, Ashkii-Hux didn't remember his name, just cold blue eyes and white blonde hair, had kept him caged.

 _All so you don't act like a bad boy_ , that man had whispered. _Only bad boys come when their Masters don't let them_.

Since the punishment for being a bad boy involved being beaten with a riding crop, Ashkii-Hux was very much in the right for wanting to avoid it. Or, that was how he thought of the matter. Bit no one usually listened to him, so Ashkii-Hux learned to deal with it. He fingered his red hair, surprised that it came just past his chin now. Wasn't it supposed to be short? He had memories of having short red hair and a man with long, dark hair worshiping his body. Ashkii-Hux squirmed as he thought of that time. It was very fuzzy, but he knew it was real.

Ashkii-Hux looked up, finally acknowledging the man on his bed. "My babies?" he softly asked. Even if he'd been a pet, he still cared for them. They were a part of him. Nine long months they had spent inside his body, developing. Nine long months until he could hold his children in his arms. "Are...are you going to kill me?"

His Master frowned. "Why would I do that, Ash?"

Well, that settled on his name. _Ashkii_. Ashkii looked up, a little scared. "I heard some of the others talking. They...they called me a monster." He grabbed handfuls of the bedding and wondered if it were true. He did remember absolute terror followed by elated relief that _something_ had gone right and the Supreme Leader couldn't punish him for this, now could he? Because it had **gone** right. "Am I a monster?"

Master sighed and tried to think. "Not...not as Ashkii, you aren't."

"Was I someone before?" Despite his general not feeling good, Ashkii needed to use the toilet. He really did. He'd probably feel better after he relieved his bladder. "I...I have a few memories. Of...of when I wasn't a pet."

Master bit his bottom lip. "Ash, I'm going to be honest with you. They called you General Starkiller before they turned you into Ashkii. You went from the highest ranking military officer in the galaxy to a living sex toy. You weren't a nice person."

"I'm sorry," Ashkii softly whispered. He tried to keep a straight face.

"You ordered me tortured by Kylo Ren," Master coldly said. He took Ashkii by the chin and forced him to look into those dark eyes. Ashkii whined a little bit. He didn't know what to do! "But you're not Hux. Hux died when the _Finalizer_ blew. The man named Ashkii was borne from its ashes."

"Like a phoenix," Ashkii softly said. He tried to get up, but his legs wobbled like a newborn colt's. Master helped him up. "What's...what's your name?"

"My name?" Master smiled crookedly. "My name is Poe Dameron. Best pilot in the freaking galaxy."

Ashkii shook his head. The reference went over his head and made a whistling sound as it did so. But he did know this...Poe's arms felt very warm and very strong, despite there being a several inch height difference between the two of them. That was why he guided Poe into sleeping beside him that night.


	16. Fragile Things

Ashkii was cute. _There_. That was it. The long and the short of it, the other man was cute. His soft red hair framed an almost perfect heart shaped face. Clear green eyes met his and cute bow lips often perked up in a smile. He was **cute**. Ashkii moved like liquid grace, often dashing around their house on D'Qar, either aking care of the twins or Esperanza. His daughter seemed thrilled that Ashkii was a person now, not a toy. He asked questions, a lot, and you could often find him curled up in the sun with a good book.

Poe threaded his fingers through the copper colored hair. "Hey. How's my baby mama doing?"

The red head flushed beautifully. He ducked his head and shifted so the child in his lap clutched at his shirt instead of his breast. Ashkii always seemed to be cuddling the children close to me. Either his nose would be buried in the child's hair or he'd be holding them close. And the children ate frequently. They always seemed to be at his breast. And Ashkii had started craving high calorie foods like ice cream. Poe smiled and doted on his housemate. Ashkii's quiet, slow smile often seemed to light up the whole room. And it was a real smile, too. Because Ashkii was a real boy. It wasn't the quick, almost pained expression he'd given as a pet. No, these smiles were **real**.

"Tired," Ashkii murmured. "I'm sore, too." He twisted, giving Poe a look at the swollen, engorged nipples. Poe took the sleeping child, smiling softly. Kes shifted in his arms and grabbed his sleeves. "Silly goose. You can't get any milk from **him**!" He kissed the boy on his head, smiling up at Poe. Poe held the boy, marveling at how tiny and perfect he was. For the children of a pet, they were doing well. No developmental problems that they could tell. "Thank you, Poe."

The children would have starved if Poe hadn't been able to help Ashkii. The pet hadn't understood that the crying children had needed to be fed...or changed...or held. He'd done the best he could, but the poor man was a total mess. He just hadn't been set up to take care of twin boys. Babies required a lot of care, constant care, and Ashkii was the man who barely remembered to feed himself.

"You're welcome." Poe knew that the best way to get Ashkii to like you was touch him. Gentle touches and plentiful praise. He could still make the other man just melt with a single touch. Ashkii was hungry for praise of any type. He loved the children and adored them, but he was hungry for approval from Poe. And Poe was willing to give him that. "Gods, but you're gorgeous." His hands fanned out and stroked where his body had swollen from the pregnancy. Most of the bump had gone away, but it was still there if you knew what to look for. "Love that about you."

Ashkii took the babe back. "Yes, I suppose you do, but isn't it time for you to go get Esperanza? I thought we were going to leave the children with Techie."

Poe smiled. "I thought as much. You really want to get out of the house that much?"

"No, I want to meet these friends of yours." Ashkii nuzzled his son. "These...Snap and Dopheld, I believe?"

He grinned. "Yeah, them. Don't be surprised if they wind up getting a room, okay?"

"I shouldn't be, they are adults," Ashkii shot back. But he smiled and started packing a diaper bag for the twins. Techie and Phasma would probably have fun with the twins. Due to the way Techie had been a slave, he had almost been sterilized. The pair was desperate for children. "I do understand these things, Poe. I might have been a pet, but I'm no virgin."

No, he wasn't. That had been taken away from him by the fires of slavery.

Poe hugged the slighter man. "Why don't we get you ready?" A hair cut would be nice, but Poe wasn't going to force anything on the former slave.

"I'm not made of glass," Ashkii murmured. "I won't shatter if you touch me." His hands stroked lower than they had before and he pulled Poe into a kiss. A kiss that went on longer than it should have and would have gone on longer if Kes hadn't started crying. Ashkii pulled away, sadly, and looked at the tiny child. "I think you saved your life, little one."

Poe cursed at himself as the other man gathered the twins. Why was he **kissing** a former sex slave?!


	17. First Stirrings

Ashkii almlost froze up. Was it too much for him to kiss his former Master? Had he broken some rule and did they think he was some kind of whore? Going from being used as a sex toy to kissing another man? To feeling a heat in the pit of his belly, begging to be let out? The red head watched Poe with heavily lashed green eyes and wished they weren't going out for the night. But they had to get the twins over to his brother and Phasma before he started begging. His pale face lit up as he looked at the shorter man.

"That..."

"Was beautiful," Ashkii quickly said. He picked up the twins and frowned as he looked at the bottles of formula. The twins preferred to nurse from him, but he wasn't going to bottle and freeze the milk from his breasts. They could drink the formula. He wanted to go out with Poe and enjoy himself before he had to go back to being an adult. Being a _parent_. He gathered up both twins and motioned for Poe to get the diaper bag. The other man could help out once in awhile. He eased open ti door with his hip and locked it behind him. Esperanza was with General Leia. He could enjoy a night to himself for once.

Poe's hands on his hips burned more than anything else.

Techie greeted them at the door and took the babies. "I'll take good care of them, Commander." His face flashed in a rare smile as he took Kes. Phasma took Bren and they sat on the couch for a few minutes until they all got ready to go. Ashkii felt his chest start to ache and excused himself to feed the twins just before he left. He didn't want to spoil the night by leaking milk all over the place.

Apparently, Snap and his Doph, as they were called, liked to eat sea food. Or, rather, Doph was craving seafood and Snap was going along with his partner. Ashkii had been told that he'd once worked with this Doph, but he didn't remember the man at all. This...was going to be as awkward as hell. He wasn't going to mess around with it, he was going to state his case and then walk beside Poe for the rest of the evening. Poe walked with him as they went to the place. Ashkii looked around the place, smiling as he looked at the exposed ceiling beams that were string with red and green lights. They sat down on a thatched straw chair and waited for the other pair.

Poe stroked his thigh. "I hope you know what you like."

Ashkii shrugged and lounged against the other man. "I'm fine, Poe. I'm not a slave anymore. I'm not going to break if you kiss me."

"I want to do so much more," Poe rasped. "But I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do, Ash. I hate to say it, but right now...you're vulnerable. I know you used to be a force of nature when you were--"

"Would you have loved me them?" Ashkii blurted. "Would you have loved me? _Did_ you love me?" Ashkii took a deep breath, remembering the images he'd seen on the HoloNet. An image of a man that had to be a younger version of himself kissing Poe. "We were...we were at the Academy."

"Yeah, but you were nice then," Poe sighed. They ordered their food and Ashkii tried not to think of the way he'd looked in that imagine. He'd been so young, so hopeful. He hadn't known, that, in a few years, the man in the picture wouldn't be alive anymore. The man in the picture would be dead and an ex-slave named Ashkii would take his place. A slave named Ashkii who wouldn't be worthy of love because of what Hux had done.

"I think I missed you," Ashkii softly said. He tried to smile when the other two came in. One a pilot and the other a half Yavinese man with a swollen belly. Ashkii tried to keep himself smiling and happy, if only for the sake of the man beside him. Why in all of the blue blazes did he have to be such a jerk in his former life? Why? Why couldn't he have been nice and simply let the world do its thing?

He wanted Poe, but didn't think he was worthy to ask.


	18. I've Got You

Poe wasn't sure what he needed to do with Ashkii. He'd seen that man as a broken slave, filled with infection and cowering in the bottom of a cell. And, now, that same man was sitting beside him and trying to get his attention. Ash still melted under his touches. The slave curled against him at night and grabbed for him at night. He still had nightmares. The former slave gathered his children to him and held them as the tears flowed. He'd cuddle with Poe, too. Trade soft kisses and watch the stars on the back porch.

"I don't want to take advantage of you." Poe took a deep breath and tried to word his argument. Soft green eyes met his, so different from the man that he'd loved at the Academy. So different from the fiery, passionate man he had known before. This man, though, wasn't Hux. He was _Ashkii_. A softer, gentler version of his first love. Poe made a wry smile as he looked down at the hand clasped in his.

_I sure can pick them._

"You're not." Ashkii smiled at him. "I'd let you know if you were. I knew...I knew I loved you when you saved me. I knew that I loved you. I think...I think I remembered you from before."

Poe took a breath. "But those are gone, Kylo said so."

Ashkii smiled softly. "But I have fragments. Just pieces, little feelings. I knew that I hated Ren when I saw him and I knew I could trust you. The Wookiee? I wasn't so sure about and I...knew he could hurt me. Kill me if he so wanted. I guess I remembered what he'd done to Ren." Soft hands gathered Poe's in his and Ashkii lifted Poe's hands to brush a kiss against the knuckles. Poe took a sharp breath. Lidded green eyes met his and he wondered what the other man was thinking. Ashkii had always been a mystery.

He allowed the other man into his lap and stroked the feather soft red hair. "What do you want, Lost Boy?"

"You." Ashkii turned around so he was straddling Poe's lap and nuzzled into him. Poe kissed his cheek and allowed his hands to trace the other man's flanks and the smooth swell of his ass. The ginger nibbled a little on his neck and Poe shivered to feel the brush of lashes against his neck. "I've wanted you. You're...a damn hard man to crack, Commander. And a pain in the ass besides."

Poe barked a laugh and hugged the other man. "That sounds like the Ash I know!"

"Well, **damn**." Ashkii laughed. He lounged back with his Commander and traced the contours of his body. Poe purred. And looked around at the exposed booth. They needed to go home. Get a room and let nature take it's course. But Poe wanted to remember a few things before things got too far. Number one...as much as he liked seeing Ash's body swell with child, he wanted to make sure they were ready for another child.

"We need to get home," Poe rasped. He laced fingers with Ash and drank in his scent. He had his ginger...and, this time, he'd never let him go.


End file.
